Can-opener.



L. E. BAUER.

CAN OPENER.

APPLICATION rnnn snrw; 1a. 1914.

Patented Oct. 27, 1914 (lttowaq THE NORRIS PETERS co.. PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

LAWRENCE E.

BAUER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR. OF THREE-FOURTHE:

TO JOHN W. BAUER, OF HAVRE DE GRACE, MARYLAND.

GAN-OFENER.

Specification of- Letters Patent.

Patented Got. 2?, 1914;.

Application filed. September 18, 1914. Serial No. 862,282.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, LAWRENCE E. BAUER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can-Openers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in can openers, the in vention comprehending a device of the character referred to, which is self-adjusting as to its cutting agencies whereby a single device is adapted for opening metal cans or boxes of different sizes, without requiring the separate hand adjustment or manipulation of any of the parts.

A leading object of my invention is to provide a device for household and other uses and which is particularly adapted for use in hotels, cafes, and establishments which handle more or less large quantities of canned goods and wherein the device is capable of removing the top of cans of different sizes, one at a time, upon the application of a single movement of the actuating means.

A further object of the invention is to provide a can opener, with means adapted to engage the top edge of the can, boX, or other container, and which means is so connected with the cutting agencies with which the de vice is supplied, that the said cutting agencies are made to automatically respond, as to the'extent of the opening to be made in the can or container, to the size of the can to be operated upon, during the approach of the said agencies toward the top of the can or container to be cut.

My invention consists of the parts and the constructions, arrangements and combinations of parts which I will hereinafter describe and claim.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and in which similar reference characters indicate like parts in the several views ;-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a can or like opener embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the device operating on a can of large size. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the plate or disk and the adjustable cutting elements. Fig. 4 illustrates a cutting blade of slightly modified form.

In the accompanying drawing, 1, is a suitable frame, or bracket which may be in the form of a single casting or may be otherwise fashioned to provide a support for the operating parts and for the can to be opened, said stand or bracket being adapted for at tachment to a wall, table, shelf, or like part by means of screws or other fastenings en gaging holes made in the horizontal and vertical portions of the stand. The frame or bracket has a lower horizontal portion, 52, forming a seat or support for the can, said frame or stand being, also, formed integral with an upper horizontal arm, 8, which is provided with a hub or bearing, 1, in which slidably operates a rod, 5, the upper end of which is connected by a cross-pin, 6, with the outer ends of suitable links, 7, whose inner portions are pivotally connected to a lever, 8, said lever being forked to permit its operation without interference with the rod which extends through it, and the forks of the lever being pivotally mounted on a crosspin, or rod, 9, extending through the upper angle of the frame or bracket, 1. The lever is spring actuated and to this end, I may employ a spring formed of wire bent at its cen tral portion to form an arm, 10, which bears upon the upper horizontal arm of the frame or bracket, 1, the wire being coiled about the cross-pin, 6, of the lever and the terminals, 11, of the wire extending rearwardly and being bent to engage the forks of the lever, whereby the spring is placed under tension when the lever is depressed but immediately expands and returns the lever to normal elevated position when pressure. upon the free end of the lever is relaxed.

The lower end of the vertically slidable rod is fixedly secured by a disk or plate, 12, to which the cutting appliances are secured and by which they are carried.

The essential features of my invention reside in the arrangement of the cutting agencies and in a means whereby these agencies are automatically adjusted to respond to the diameter of the can to be opened. To this end the cutting mechanism comprises a plurality of similar parts adjustably mounted on the lower face of the disk or plate, 12, each of said parts being so connected to other and similar parts that the combined elements operate in unison to adjust themselves in response to the diameter of the particular can to be opened.

In the illustrated embodiment of my in vention, each of the cutting agencies comprises a vertically-disposed blade, 13, which is segmental in cross-section at its rear or heel and has the remaining portion substantially straight and standing substantially tangential to the circle described by the segmental portions of the combined blades. Each blade also tapers in width from its heel or rear end toward the point or front so as to form an upwardly inclined cutting edge, 14, which leads from the heel of. the blade to the point thereof. Each of the blades, 13, is also slotted in its rear or heel portion, as shown at 15, and through the slot thus formed is adapted to operate and be suitably guided therein, the narrowed outer or front end of the blade, whereby the outer or front portion of one blade may freely slide in and relatively to the rear or heel portion of an adjoining blade, the several blades being thus arranged in overlapping order with the rear or heel portion of one blade acting to reinforce or' strengthen the narrow outer portion of a companion blade against lateral strains during the cutting function, the several blades being thus permitted to open and close radially to bring into play more or less of their cutting edges and to thereby vary the size of the opening which is to be cut in the can or other container. That this latter result maybe obtained in a simple and efiicient manner and that the adjustment'of the blades may be effected by and in response to the diameter of the can which is to be opened, I make each of the cutters or blades, 13, rigid with a horizontal plate, 16, one portion of which is pivotally secured to the plate or disk, 12, near the periphery thereof, while the other or free portion, 17, of said plate, 16 is bent downwardly at right-angles to the rst-named portion so that it will stand substantially vertical and with its inner edge, 18, substantially parallel with the vertical outer wall of a blade, but spaced an appropriate distance therefrom to allow it to ride down the outside of the can or container, the bottom of this vertical member of the blade being beveled or inclinechas shown at 19, for a purpose hereinafter stated.

Each of the horizontal, pivotally-mounted plates 16, has a portion on its free end and located interior to the circle described by the segmental portions of the cutting blades, 13, connected to a corresponding portion of the other and similar blades by means of an appropriate spring, 20, the tendency of which is to normally hold the parts, 17, in their innermost position, and with the several cutters in their contracted normal position, In this position the device is designed to open cans of the smaller or minimum size, the several segmental portions of the blades cooperating in this instance to out in the top of the can an opening of substantially circular form; but if a can of larger size is to be opened, this normal position of the cutting blades is instantly and automatically altered and the size of the opening to be cut by the blade is increased and made to more nearly conform to the diameter of the larger can, by the inclined bottom surfaces of the parts, 17, coming first in contact with the top edge of the can and then riding thereover, with the result that the parts, 17, and the plates, 16, which carry the knives or cutters, and which parts, 17, act substantially as a gage for the blades, are caused to swing outwardly about their pivotal centers, 1 21, thus causing the blades, 13, to open radially one relatively to the other in comformity tothe diameter of the can, and until the high point of the inclined bottom of the part, 17, passes over the top edge of the can, when the vertical edge or wall, 18, of the said part may then ride down over the vertical wall of said can, and which edge or wall, 18, tends to hold the knives firmly in their open or adjusted position during the cutting function.

cutting in a curved line toward each other whereby a piece is cut out of the can of a diameter about equal to the diameter of the circle described by the segmental portion of the blades.

opened is of larger dimensions than the normal diameter of the circle described by If the can to bethe blades, 13, the top of such can will be first engaged by the inclined bottom portions of the parts, 17, and as these parts ride downwardly over the top edge of the can, they are, also, caused to move outwardly, swinging about the pivotal centers, 92, and

thus spreading or opening the blades one relatively to the other, the free ends of one cutter sliding through or on the heel portion of the adjacent cutter, and so expanding the blades that the top of the larger can may be removed during the continued downward movement of the lever.

When pressure upon the lever is relaxed, the lever and connected cutting agencies are caused to move upwardly, and as the inner walls, 18, of the parts, 17, ride over the top edge of the can, the spring, 20, which connects the several knives, immediately contracts andthu moves the knives inwardly to their normal position.

The depending parts, 17, therefore, serve as gages or guides for automatically controlling the position of the knives with re spect to the sizeof can to be operated upon, thus adapting one machine for use in opening cans of different sizes and without requiring any hand adjustment of the cutting appliances. This is a leading and essential feature of my present invention.

In Fig. 1., each blade, 13, has its initial cutting point located in front of the rear extremity of the blade and when this form of blade is used the part thereof back of said point may be inclined to form a cutting edge, 23, which extends oppositely to the longer cutting edge in front of said point. If desired, however, the initial cutting point may be at substantially the extreme rear or inner end of the blade, as shown at 24 in Fig. 4, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my inventionwhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with cutting agencies, and means for reciprocating the same toward and from the container to be opened, of means connected to said agencies adapted to contact with said container and thereby adjust the cutting agencies relatively to the diameter of the said container.

2. An opener for containers, said opener provided with a group of cutting blades adaptedto'remove the top from the con tainer, said opener having, also, a bladesetting mechanism connected to the blades and adapted to engage the container in advance of the blades to thereby automatically adjust the blades with respect to the diameter of the container operated upon and the diameter of the cut to be made therein.

3. A can or like opener having'pivotally' mounted cutting blades, and means connected to the blades and engageable with the can and adapted to set the blades with respect to the diameter of the can to be operated upon.

4. A can or like opener having adjustably mounted cutting blades, and means connected to said blades and contacting with the can in advance of the blades and adapted to automatically adjust the blades with respect to the diameter of the can to be operated upon.

5. A can or like opener having vertical cutting blades mounted for swinging movement in a horizontal plane, and vertical members movable with the blades and pro jecting in advance of the cutting edges thereof, and having inclined bottoms to engage the upper edge of the can whereby the said members are spread laterally in response to the diameter of the can to radially adjust the blades with respect to the can.

6. A can or like opener having a series of pivotally-mounted blades each vertically disposed and having an inclined lower cut ting edge, each of said blades having a slot in the inner or rear portion through which the outer or front portion of an adjacent blade slidably operates to adjust the blades and increaseor decrease the area of the opening to be made in the can.

7. A can or like opener having a series of pivotally-mounted cutting blades each vertically disposed and having an inclined lower cutting edge, each of said blades having a slot in the inner or rear portion through which the outer or front portion of an adjacent blade slidably operates to adjust the blades and increase or decrease the area of the opening to be made in the can, and a spring connected to said series of blades tending to maintain them in a normal retracted position and placed under tension when the blades are in an adjusted position.

8. A can or like opener having a series of pivotally-mounted cutting blades each vertically disposed and having an inclined lower cutting edge, each of said blades having a slot in the inner or rear portion through which the outer or front portion of an ad jacent blade slidably operates to adjust the blades and increase or decrease the area of the opening to be made in the can, a spring connected to said series of blades tending to maintain them in a normal retracted position, and placed under tension when the blades are in an adjusted position, and parts exterior to and rigid with the blades and projecting in advance thereof, said parts having inclined bottom portions to engage the upper edge of the can and to ride thereover whereby the said parts are spread laterally to adjust the blades with respect to the diameter of the can and the size of opening to be made therein.

9. A can or like opener having a series of cutting blades each vertically disposed and having a slot in its inner or rear end portion through which the outer or front portion of an adjacent blade slidably operates, the said inner or rear ends of the blades being of segmental form and the front portions of the blades being substantially tangential to the circle described by the inner segmental portions of the combined blades, each of said blades having a horizontal member pivotally mounted at one end and having an opposite portion substantially at right-angles thereto and extending below the cutting edges of the blades, said rightangled portions of the blades being outside of the blades and having inner edges spaced therefrom, and the lower faces of said rightangled portions being inclined and adapted to contact with the top edge of a can and to ride thereover, whereby the blades are caused to swing horizontally about the piv- In mesti'mony; 'wliereofr'l afilx my signature 1n presence: of; two Witnesses.

otal connections of? the horizontal portions; to adj ustwthe F blades relatively to the diam? eter of: the can to be onemtedr upon, mmembervto which; the :blades are attachech said memberrhaving a vertical rod, 2 standzhaw Witnesses? ingjalsupport for'the can; anpivoted 'lever, LOUTIS.:G. KLERN-Eng. andilinks connecting 'the lever-i0 said rod. J ;1. W;,BAUER...

copies of thiswpatent maybe obtained fo r*-five-;ce1ij:s eacll lbk ddressing thg Commissioner: of"IPatents;-

Washington, III-C3 

